


Starting the year with a kiss

by flightinflame



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Newt Scamander, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Puffskein
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 13:50:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13249542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Starting the new year with a kiss is everything Credence wants, but Newt can't stop worrying, so he turns to his brother's partner for advice.





	Starting the year with a kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Oops, a day or two late... hope you enjoyed it!

Newt stood awkwardly beside Percival, watching his brother talking to Credence. Theseus was so good with people, always had been. Newt was relying on the alcohol already coursing through his system to give him some strength, and was contemplating whether or not to run away.

This was a good New Year. One he couldn't have even imagined a few short years ago, one where he was with the man he loved, his brother and his brother's partner. This was a good thing, academically speaking. He felt warm and safe, the firelight dancing across the floor, glinting off of the fur of the puffskein that Credence had adopted. It was purring contentedly, Credence cuddling the creature to his chest as he talked to Theseus.

"They get along," Percival said softly, breaking the silence between them.  
"Theseus gets along with everyone," Newt admitted, before glancing back at the floor. Percival rested his hand on Newt's shoulder, steering him away from the others and then looking at him in quiet understanding.  
"What is it?"  
"What's what?" Newt asked, feigning innocence with as much success as he ever managed, which was not nearly as much as he thought he could manage.  
"What's bothering you?" Percival queried. "You've been glancing at the clock for the past hour."

Newt hesitated a little. Percival was practically his brother in law, someone that he could trust.  
"It's Credence," Newt murmured. "He's so excited about the New Year, and about midnight..." Looking at Credence, who was now half-snuggled into Theseus's side, Newt doubted that Credence would stay awake until midnight. Letting him sleep would be the coward's way out, but he was tempted.

The puffskein on Credence's lap let out a loud trill of delight, as Credence snuggled it closer.  
"What about him?" Percival asked, and Newt tried to explain, aware he was being foolish - he knew about Theseus, had known how he was since the war, and Percival was probably the same. Theseus seemed to barely meet someone before they were pulled into his bed, leaving the next morning after eating and with a laugh - to them, it always seemed easy. He doubted Percival would understand. But he had to talk to someone, and right now, Credence was busy.

"He's been talking about kisses at midnight," Newt explained. "How it means that you'll stick together forever, how you'll get married, how you'll..." Words failed him for a moment, and he closed your eyes.  
"You're scared about sleeping with him?" Percival asked. "Have you not...?"  
"That isn't important, " Newt snapped, then took a deep breath and turned to him, making himself look Percival in the eye. Percival was trying to understand, he had to remember that.  
"What is important then?" Percival asked, and there was the patience that had drawn Theseus to him.

Percival couldn't understand, but he was trying to, and that was what gave Newt the courage to speak.  
"I... I want to kiss him. I want to spend my life with him. Seeing him with the creatures, teaching him magic, all of it, it's a happiness I never thought I was meant to have. But I can't give him what he wants. I wasn't ... I've never been that kind of creature. It just isn't..." Wwords failed him.

Percival looked down on him with something approaching sympathy, then gestured towards the fire. Credence was sprawled on the rug now, his eyes closed, the puffskein perched on his chest. He was smiling.  
"I'm not the one you should be telling this to,." Percival murmured. "But I don't think that he's going to mind. Talk to him. But not tonight. Tonight, just start the year off together, and you'll be happy."

Newt nodded, going to sit beside his brother and Credence, reaching out to stroke Credence's hair. Credence nuzzled sleepily into his touch as Theseus snuck away to spend some time with Percival. Credence's eyes opened, gazing up at Newt happily.  
"Hey," Credence mumbled. "Is it 1928 yet?"   
"Not yet," Newt answered. "We've got about another hour..." His fingers stroked through Credence's hair, and Credence shifted so that his head was in Newt's lap. "You want me to wake you?" Newt asked, and Credence yawned and smiled up at him. Newt continued to stroke Credence's hair, summoning his book over and making a few notes on the behaviour of puffskeins in winter. It mainly appeared to consist of them cuddling up to a heat source, and making soft noises until they received the attention they craved. Newt resisted the urge to see similarities there between creature and owner.

***

A few minutes before midnight, his brother and Percival reappeared - Percival immaculate as always, Theseus's hair sticking up in odd directions and with a smirk on his face. Newt leaned in, brushing his lips to Credence's forehead. Credence blinked up at him and smiled.  
"Did I miss it?"  
"I promised I'd wake you up in time," Newt reminded him, guiding him to his feet and summoning champagne for them both. Credence regarded the glass a little warily, so Newt added a few drops of an antidote he carried with him - just mandrake, fireseed and bezoar, it was the potion he would use for mild poisonings.

Credence took the glass and stared at Newt, as the clock began to chime. Newt leaned in and kissed Credence softly on the lips, his hands finding Credence's own as Credence held the champagne glasses in mid-air with a dark swirl of his magic. After a few seconds, Credence backed away with a smile.  
"Happy new year," he whispered, before taking his glass and clinking it against Newt's own. Newt took a sip, feeling warmth spreading through him. Theseus held out his left hand, and Newt grabbed it with his right. Credence blinked, but copied the gesture, and Percival frowned, only to have his hands grabbed by Theseus and Credence.

Newt and Theseus began to sing as the clock rang with the tune of Auld Lang Syne, as the Americans gazed at them blankly, matching looks of confusion across their faces. As the song finished, Theseus and Percival kissed once more, and Credence cuddled into Newt's chest.

"Happy New Year," Credence murmured, his hands finding Newt's once more to pull him close. Newt thought of everything that had happened the year before, and what he had gained - the friendship of Percival, Jacob, Tina and so many others, and the love of Credence. If the coming year brought him half the joy he had experienced in 1926, he would count himself truly lucky. He embraced Credence once more, and the two of them headed towards the case to check on the creatures. The fireworks would be starting any second, and neither Credence nor the creatures liked the noises.

The puffskein followed them into the case, leaving Percival and Theseus alone upstairs as Newt and Credence began their rounds. Newt didn't think that the coming year could get much better than it was at that moment. This was all he needed.


End file.
